Diese Anzeigen an der Union Station und an anderen Orten in Toronto könnten Sie aufzeichnen. Was Sie wissen müssen

I can’t read this article because of a paywall, but it seems like an opportune time to contribute a tidbit of professional knowledge.

This is actually nothing that different from capabilities that digital ad boards have had for over a decade, except that it captures pictures versus digital ID signatures (or, more likely, both).

Ad boards like this have long had things like Bluetooth ID monitoring (all devices, such as phones, have a unique ID). This allows ad boards to monitor you through that publicly broadcast ID and determine who stopped at what ad, how long they stopped, etc. They can track progress throughout an entire mall, or even between physical locations, for instance.

This is also used in conjunction with Bluetooth ID scanners at store entrances and checkouts. Stores who have your Bluetooth ID and also collect personal information at checkout can add your BT ID to your digital footprint that they can track, use for targeted marketing and sell for a profit.

This way, not only can they use digital ad boards in the conventional sense to test which ads caught your attention (AB testing), but they can also see which ones got you into the store and whether it actually resulted in a sale (conversion ratio), etc. Plus, it serves to deliver targeted ads, maybe with a sale or incentive, if they got you that far but you failed to purchase.

If you’ve stopped to look at an ad board, and were served content for that product on your personal devices, this may have been the mechanism used to target you. No clicks or other interactions necessary. When they say that all electronics are ‚listening‘ this is an integral part of that mechanism.

It seems morally grey, to me. Yes, BT tracking and pictures are legally allowed in most public places. However, stitching them together into a powerful behavioural manipulation and tracking tool isn’t something that the vast majority of us would opt into – even if it meant that we were better served ads for things that might actually be useful or desirable to us at the micro level.

But, that’s capitalism for you. If you’re interested in learning more about these technologies and how they shape our daily lives, you can purchase my new book at… Just kidding.